LAKE WALES, Fla. – In a physical battle between two of the best teams in the country, #22 Warner University men’s basketball defeated #10 Northwood University (Fla.) 58-57 with some late-game heroics from Mirnes Islamovic’.
Islamovic’ coming off the bench led the Royals (13-6, 4-3 The Sun Conference) with 15 points connecting on six of his 10 shots including a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the arc.
It was a defensive battle from start to finish with 10 ties and 16 lead changes, the largest lead of the game was four points held by both teams throughout the game.
The final four-point lead of the game came at the 6:31 mark when Jeremy Barr hit a jumper to give the Seahawks (16-4, 4-3 The Sun Conference) the 49-45 lead. The Royals responded with a 4-0 run sparked by a Derell Henderson jumper that tied the game for the eight time. The Seahawks reclaimed the lead with a three-pointer from Thierno Agne, the Seahawks’ eighth three of the game. Islamovic’ responded with a clutch three-pointer of his own to tie the game yet again. The Royals took the lead on the ensuing possession on a layup from David Westberry.
Barr, who finished with a team-high 15 points, continued to terrorize the Royals down low, hitting a jumper in the paint to knot the game at 54 with 2:57 remaining in regulation. The two teams continued to combat for offensive position, with neither scoring until 1:46 on a layup from Dennis Bender to put the Royals up two, 56-54. Point guard Melvin Calhoun for the Seahawks responded by driving down the court and nailing a three to give the Seahawks the one-point lead with 1:17 left on the clock.
With the game on the line, 28 seconds on the clock and the Seahawks having the possession of the ball Henderson forced a turnover and stole the ball to give the Royals a chance at winning the game. The Royals quickly called a timeout to set up the play and Islamovic’ answered with the game winning shot to give the Royals the win.
The Royals look to avenge their first conference loss of the season when they host Johnson & Wales University on Wednesday (Jan. 27) in a 7 p.m. game in the Turner Athletic Center.